U.S. patent number 6,192,797 [Application Number 09/470,747] was granted by the patent office on 2001-02-27 for ink cartridge for automated dispensing systems.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Sonoco Development, Inc.. Invention is credited to James F. Kick, James W. Lowry, Keith R. Rea.
United States Patent |
6,192,797 |
Rea , et al. |
February 27, 2001 |
Ink cartridge for automated dispensing systems
Abstract
An improved cartridge for dispensing highly viscous fluids in
which the nozzle is recessed for ease of packaging, shipping and
storing. The cartridge comprises a hollow cylindrical body, a
plunger and a dispensing fitment. The cylindrical body holds a
supply of extrudable fluid contents such as lithographic ink. The
plunger serves as a pneumatically activated piston within the
cylindrical body to extrude the contents of the cartridge. The
nozzle has an open and a closed position. In the closed position
the nozzle does not protrude beyond the top of the dispensing
fitment. The dispenser may also include a detachable nozzle
extension which, when attached to the nozzle, extends beyond the
top of the fitment.
Inventors: |
Rea; Keith R. (Florence,
SC), Lowry; James W. (Florence, SC), Kick; James F.
(Town & Country, MO) |
Assignee: |
Sonoco Development, Inc.
(Hartsville, SC)
|
Family
ID: |
23868871 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/470,747 |
Filed: |
December 23, 1999 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
101/202; 101/210;
101/366 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B41F
31/08 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B41F
31/08 (20060101); B41F 031/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;101/366,363,364,350.1,207,208,209,210,351.8,365,148,202
;222/326,327 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Hilten; John S.
Assistant Examiner: Williams; Kevin D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Bullwinkel Partners, Ltd.
Claims
We claim as our invention:
1. In a cartridge-type dispenser comprising a hollow cylindrical
body for holding a supply of extrudable fluid contents, the
cylindrical body having a dispensing end and a plunger end, the
plunger end being closed by a plunger adapted to serve as a piston
within the cylindrical body to extrude the contents of the
dispenser when the plunger is forced toward the dispensing end, the
dispensing end terminating in a rim, the improvement
comprising:
a generally cup-shaped dispensing fitment mounted in sealing
engagement with the dispensing end of the cylindrical body, said
dispensing fitment comprising:
a substantially circular disk;
an annular side wall formed around the periphery of the disk and
extending upwardly therefrom toward the rim and terminating in a
top end, said annular side wall defining a cylindrical area;
a flange extending radially outwardly from the top end of the
annular side wall, said flange resting on top of and abutting the
rim of the cylindrical body, said flange having a top surface
defining a plane;
a substantially circular aperture disposed approximately at the
center of the disk communicating with the inside of the cylindrical
body; and
a reclosable nozzle disposed in the cylindrical area defined by the
dispensing fitment side wall and mounted over the aperture, said
nozzle having an open and a closed position, wherein the nozzle in
the closed position does not extend beyond the plane defined by the
top surface of the flange.
2. The dispenser of claim 1 further comprising a detachable nozzle
extension which, when attached to the nozzle, extends beyond the
plane of the flange.
3. The dispenser of claim 2 wherein the nozzle extension forms a
snap fit over the nozzle.
4. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the cylindrical body is made
substantially from convolutely wound paper lined internally with
polymeric material.
5. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the dispensing fitment annular
side wall is glued to the inside of the cylindrical body.
Description
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
This patent relates to liquid dispensing cartridges for automated
dispensing systems. More specifically, this patent relates to an
ink dispensing cartridge for use with a sheet fed lithographic
press.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lithography is a printmaking process dating back to the 1700s in
which ink is applied to a plate having both image and nonimage
areas. The image areas are ink-receptive and water-repellent. The
non-image areas are water-receptive and ink-repellent. In rotary
type presses the plate is mounted on a cylinder that rotates during
printing. In one typical configuration, the plate cylinder picks up
the ink at the image areas and transfers the image to a blanket
cylinder which in turn transfers the image to the paper.
In multi-color sheet-fed presses, up to ten inking stations can be
placed in series. Each station has its own ink feeding system and
handles a separate color. As the paper sheet moves from station to
station, a new color is put down at each station.
Because lithographic ink is thixotropic and very viscous,
conventional lithographic ink feeding systems require a complex
system of drums, vibrators and fountain rollers. In a typical
lithographic ink feeding system, workers remove lithographic ink
from a drum (or, in some cases, smaller tins) with specially made
spatulas and spread the ink across a tray (the ink fountain).
Fountain rollers roll against the ink fountain to pick up the ink
and transfer it to the plate cylinder. The process is labor
intensive and subject to error.
Storing lithographic ink in drums can result in wasted ink if the
entire drum is not used because it is difficult to store and reuse
ink in drums. The lithographic ink itself is prone to oxidation
which can result in color variations from one press run to another,
and even from sheet to sheet within a single run. In addition, upon
exposure of the ink to the atmosphere, volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) evaporate which can cause ink spoilage.
Thus there exists a need for an improved system of storing and
dispensing ink for sheet fed lithographic presses. The present
invention solves this need by providing an ink cartridge that is
easy to fill and ship and can be used with sheet fed lithographic
presses of the type that dispense ink from a dispenser mounted over
the ink fountain or the fountain roller. During use the ink
cartridge moves back and forth across the fountain, dispensing ink
into the fountain or directly onto an ink form roller to provide an
even consistent layer of ink. In automated presses, the amount of
ink in the fountain is continually monitored and replenished as
needed.
Numerous cartridge-type dispensers are known in the art, such as
those disclosed in Bowe U.S. Pat. No. 3,321,108, MacEwen U.S. Pat.
No. 4,373,646 and Nilsson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,924. However,
neither these patents nor any others known to the inventors
disclose a cartridge useful for dispensing lithographic ink that
can readily be sealed and then reused without wasting a substantial
amount of the dispensing material.
Furthermore, conventional cartridge-type dispensers often have
built-in protruding nozzles that make it difficult to package, ship
and store the cartridges. For example, if the cartridges are
shipped in cartons in a vertical position (i.e. standing up), the
top of the cartons must be reinforced to prevent the top from
collapsing and damaging the cartridge nozzles. If the cartridges
are shipped in a horizontal (lying down) position, the sides of the
cartons must be suitably reinforced and the cartridges held
stationary within the package. The protruding nozzles also prevent
stacking of the cartridges either before or after use.
Thus it is an object of the present invention to provide an ink
cartridge for easy storing, transporting and dispensing of
lithographic ink.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink
cartridge that can be used in a sheet fed lithographic press to
dispense a controlled amount of ink onto an ink fountain.
Still another object of the present invention is to proved an ink
dispensing cartridge that minimizes exposure of the ink to the
atmosphere.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an ink
cartridge that can be resealed and reused with the ink remaining
stable as to viscosity and color.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an ink
cartridge which minimizes the amount of residual ink left in the
cartridge after use.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an ink
cartridge having a recessed nozzle for ease of packing, shipping
and storing.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an ink
cartridge having a removably attached nozzle extension for better
control of fluid flow.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an ink
cartridge having a composite body with multiple liner options to
meet a user's performance requirements for various inks.
Further and additional objects will appear from the description,
accompanying drawings, and appended claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an ink cartridge, particularly one for use
with sheet fed lithographic presses, that can be easily filled,
transported, used and reused. The cartridge minimizes exposure of
the ink to the atmosphere and also minimizes the amount of residual
ink left in the cartridge after use. The cartridge comprises a
hollow cylindrical body, a plunger and a dispensing fitment. The
cylindrical body holds a supply of ink or other extrudable material
and has a dispensing end and a plunger end. The plunger end is
sealed by the plunger which serves as a piston within the
cylindrical body to extrude the contents of the dispenser when the
plunger is forced toward the dispensing end by, for example,
pneumatic pressure. The dispensing end terminates in a rim.
The cartridge is provided with a dispensing fitment which is
mounted in sealing engagement with the dispensing end of the
cylindrical body. The dispensing fitment comprises a substantially
circular disk, an annular side wall formed around the periphery of
the disk and extending upwardly therefrom and terminating in a top
end, and a closure flange extending radially outwardly from the top
end of the annular side wall. When the dispensing fitment is
inserted into the cylindrical body the closure flange abuts the rim
at the dispensing end. The closure flange defines a plane which
essentially is the top of the dispenser.
A substantially circular aperture is located at the center of the
dispensing fitment. A reclosable nozzle is attached to the
dispensing fitment over the aperture. The nozzle has an open and a
closed position. In the closed position the nozzle does not extend
beyond the plane of the flange. The dispenser may also include a
detachable nozzle extension which, when attached to the nozzle, may
extend beyond the plane of the closure flange.
The ink cartridge of the present invention is an improvement over
conventional lithographic ink drums because the cartridge minimizes
exposure of the ink to the atmosphere and can be resealed and
reused. And because the ink cartridge has a recessed nozzle, the
cartridge is better suited for packaging, shipping and storing ink
than conventional cartridges.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automated ink dispensing system
showing an ink cartridge according to the present invention
installed in a cartridge carriage in an inverted position;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge according to the
present invention;
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge of FIG.
2;
FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the dispensing end of the
ink cartridge of FIG. 2; and
FIG. 6 is a cross-section taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Turning to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a perspective
view of an automated ink dispensing system 8 for use with a sheet
fed lithographic press. The ink dispensing system 8 includes an ink
cartridge 10 according to the present invention mounted in an
inverted position within a cartridge carriage 12 and an ink
dispensing controller 14 for controlling the amount of ink
dispensed. During operation the carriage 12 moves laterally along
the length of a fountain roller 16 while an ink level sensor
constantly monitors the amount of ink in the fountain roller 16 to
determine the exact locations where ink is needed. When a low level
of ink is detected by the sensor, the controller 14 activates an
air supply which forces air against the pneumatically controlled
plunger 22 to dispense ink where it is needed to maintain an even
layer of ink on the roller 16.
The ink cartridge 10 of the present invention was specifically
designed to work with automated ink dispensing systems of the type
just described. The ink cartridge 10 is shown in detail in FIGS.
2-6, and comprises a hollow cylindrical body 18 having a bottom end
19 and a top end 20, a plunger 22 inserted into the bottom end 19
for sliding engagement with the inside wall of the cartridge body
18, and a dispensing fitment 24 mounted in sealing engagement with
the top end 20 of the cartridge body 18. In the preferred
embodiment the dispensing fitment 24 is glued to the cartridge body
18. The top end 20 of the cartridge body terminates in a rim
21.
Preferably, the cartridge body 18 is made of convolutely wound
paper lined internally with polymeric material, although any
suitable materials may be used, including, depending on the
application, metal or plastic. In the preferred embodiment the
plunger and the dispensing fitment are made of plastic. In practice
the ink cartridges 10 are approximately nine or thirteen inches
long, but any suitable length may be used depending on need and the
dimensions of the cartridge carrier.
The dispensing fitment 24 is generally cup-shaped and comprises a
substantially circular disk 26 and an annular side wall 28 formed
around the periphery of the disk 26 and extending upwardly
therefrom (upward being defined as the direction away from the
bottom end 19). A closure flange 30 extends radially outwardly from
the top end of the annular side wall 28. When the dispensing
fitment 24 is fully inserted into the cylindrical body 18, the
closure flange 30 abuts the rim 21 of the cylindrical body 18 to
prevent further insertion of the fitment 24.
A substantially circular aperture 32 is located at the center of
the circular disk 26. A nozzle 34 is attached to the circular disk
26 over the aperture 32. The nozzle 34 is conventional in design
and comprises a hub 36 and a cap 38. The hub 36 comprises a
substantially cylindrical side wall 40 extending upwardly from the
perimeter of the circular aperture 32 and a plug 42 centrally
disposed over the aperture 32 and connected to the side wall 40.
The diameter of the plug 42 is less than that of the diameter of
the top of the hub side wall 40 so as to cover some, but not all,
of the opening defined by the top of the side wall 40.
The nozzle cap 38 fits over the hub 36 in sliding engagement
therewith. The nozzle cap 38 has a radially inwardly extending
flange 44 which travels within an annular groove 46 disposed in the
outside of the hub side wall 40. When the nozzle cap 38 is in the
lower or closed position, the cap 38 mates with the plug 42 to
prevent the outward flow of the cartridge contents. When the nozzle
cap 38 is in the extended or open position, openings 48 around the
plug 42 allow the contents of the cartridge 10 to flow outward.
The nozzle 34 may be surrounded by a circular ring 50 to stiffen
the dispensing fitment 24 and protect the nozzle 34. Optional
support walls 52 may connect the ring 50 to the annular side wall
28.
A key aspect of the invention is that, at least in the closed
position, the nozzle 34 does not extend upwardly beyond the plane
defined by the top of the dispensing fitment closure flange 30. In
other words, the nozzle 34 is recessed inside the cup-shaped
dispensing fitment 24. The recessed nozzle 34 greatly simplifies
the packaging, shipping and storing of the cartridges, since the
cartridges are substantially cylindrical with no protruding
parts.
For example, the cartridges 10 can be packaged and shipped standing
up inside a shipping container, since the recessed nozzle 34 is
unlikely to be damaged if the top of the shipping container becomes
depressed or collapses. By contrast, conventional cartridges are
often shipped on their sides to protect the protruding nozzles.
Furthermore, ink cartridges 10 made according to the present
invention can be stacked one on top of another during packing,
shipping and storage because there are no protruding parts to
prevent stacking. Conventional cartridges with protruding nozzles
are less easy to stack.
For better control of fluid flow, a nozzle extension 60 may be
attached to the nozzle 34 prior to use. The nozzle extension 60 has
a base 62 and a substantially cylindrical spout 64 extending
upwardly therefrom. Preferably, the base 62 snap fits onto the
nozzle cap 38, although any suitable means of attachment will
do.
When the nozzle extension 60 is attached to the nozzle 34, the
spout 64 protrudes beyond the plane of the closure flange 30, that
is, beyond the end of the cartridge 10. FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6 show
the cartridge 10 with a nozzle extension 60 snap fit onto the
nozzle 34. However, in practice, the cartridges 10 are intended to
be stored and shipped with the nozzle extension 60 separate from
the cartridges 10.
Because the ink cartridge 10 is sealed at either end by the plunger
22 and the dispensing fitment 24, the present invention minimizes
the exposure of the ink to the atmosphere, thus minimizing or
preventing oxidation of the ink and loss of VOCs to the atmosphere.
And because the cartridge 10 can be resealed by depressing the
nozzle cap 38, the cartridge 10 can be reused if the contents are
not entirely used up, which is particularly advantageous when
expensive inks are used. Finally, because the plunger 22 mates
closely with the dispensing fitment 24 when the ink is used up,
only a very small amount of residual ink, typically 1% or less, is
wasted. In addition to saving ink costs, this allows the container
to be placed into a land fill disposal system.
Thus the present invention provides a cartridge for dispensing ink
or other viscous extrudable material having a recessed nozzle for
ease of packaging, shipping and storing and an optional nozzle
extension for better control of material flow. The cartridge
minimizes exposure of the ink to the atmosphere and also minimizes
the amount of residual ink left in the cartridge after use. The
present invention is particularly suitable as an ink dispenser for
use with a sheet fed lithographic press having an automatic ink
level sensor.
Other modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention
are contemplated which do not depart from the spirit and scope of
the invention as defined by the foregoing teachings and appended
claims. It is intended that the claims cover all such modifications
that fall within their scope.
* * * * *